Date: 2016-07-12
Type of information: Nomination
Compound: head of neurology franchise
Company: Wave LIfe Sciences (USA - MA)
Therapeutic area: Rare diseases - Genetic diseases - Neurological diseases
Type agreement: nomination
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Disease:
Details:
- • On July 12, 2016, Wave Life Sciences, a genetic medicines company focused on developing stereopure nucleic acid therapies for patients impacted by rare diseases, announced that it has appointed Michael A. Panzara, M.D., MPH, as head of the company’s neurology franchise.
- In this new role, Dr. Panzara will oversee WAVE’s portfolio of neurological therapeutic candidates, from target discovery through clinical development, regulatory approval, and post-approval activities. His initial focus will be on filing investigational new drug (IND) applications for Wave’s two lead programs in Huntington’s disease and initiating IND-enabling studies for Wave’s first Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy candidate by the end of this year. Beyond that, he will play a key role in realizing Wave’s plan to deliver six IND programs by 2018.
- Dr. Panzara comes to Wave with more than 15 years of experience in key leadership roles in neurological drug development, regulatory approval, and lifecycle management. Most recently, Dr. Panzara held the role of Group Vice President and Head of Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology, and Ophthalmology Therapeutic Areas in Global Development at Sanofi Genzyme. During his time at Sanofi Genzyme, Dr. Panzara oversaw global regulatory approvals of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs Lemtrada® (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio® (teriflunomide), managed the neurological and ophthalmological portfolios across Sanofi which included a diverse pipeline of small molecules and biologics, and led global strategy and execution of development plans for neurology and ophthalmology candidates from preclinical development through regulatory approval.
- Prior to joining Sanofi Genzyme, Dr. Panzara was Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Neurology at Biogen. During his time there, he served as the global clinical lead for the development of Tysabri® (natalizumab) for multiple sclerosis, overseeing its clinical program and global approvals. He also managed clinical development activities for all late-stage MS products including Avonex® (interferon beta-1a), Plegridy® (PEG-interferon beta-1a), and Tecfidera® (oral dimethylfumarate).
- Wave’s formalization of a neurology franchise reflects the company’s strategic prioritization of internal resources on developing and commercializing treatments for neurological, neuromuscular and neurosensory disorders, while simultaneously undertaking strategic partnerships with leaders in other disease areas to bring the potential benefits of stereopure drugs to as many patients as possible.
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